Cremation grows more popular, but cost is rising

Updated 11:02 pm, Sunday, November 25, 2012

Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News

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Fernando O'Horan, president of Funeral Caring USA, shows a sample of cremation containers that range from a minimal wooden container which cost about $48 to a premium urn which has dolphins artwork which cost about $499. The company along with a consumer group offers a simple cremation for $545. Funeral Caring USA has been in business for 13 years according to O'Horan.

Fernando O'Horan, president of Funeral Caring USA, shows a sample of cremation containers that range from a minimal wooden container which cost about $48 to a premium urn which has dolphins artwork which cost

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But others, such as Oglesby, whose husband was a retired Air Force colonel, decide that a cremation is a sensible choice, even if an elaborate funeral is within financial reach.

Some say cremation gives them more options for holding a memorial service, say, at home or in a favorite setting. Still others cite environmental concerns for choosing cremation, including avoiding use of land for burial, according to the cremation association.

But as cremation has become more popular, its cost is rising. Surveys by a local nonprofit, the Funeral Consumers Alliance of San Antonio, show the cost of a no-frills cremation jumped more than 40 percent at some funeral homes from 2009 to 2011, the last year the survey was completed.

The alliance's survey of local funeral home prices for no-frills cremations range from $680 to $4,000 in 2011. The latter price includes a fiberboard container for the body.

Jean Nation, president of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of San Antonio, urges preplanning as the best way to avoid price shocks.

For a one-time membership fee of $35, the alliance provides a list of four funeral homes in San Antonio that offer a no-frills cremation for $565. The funeral homes have pledged to cap their profit at about 6 percent for a cremation.

The $565 includes picking up the deceased from a hospital or nursing home, getting necessary permits, the required container, transportation of the body to the crematory and charges by the crematory. It doesn't include a viewing or use of a funeral home's chapel.

“We tell people that this is a reality that we are all going to face. Some people don't care how much a cremation or funeral will cost,” Nation said. “But you have to ask yourself: What is a funeral home going to do for $4,000 that they can't do for $1,000 or less? The body is going to go into an incinerator.”

“Love doesn't dictate how much money you should spend,” Nation added. “With the information that we provide, people at least know what they're going to get into, and whether they want to use one of our partners or not.”

Funeral homes must provide a price list to anyone who asks for one. It helps consumers “compare apples to apples,” said Barbara Kemmis, executive director of the Cremation Association of North America. Many offer bundled services that raise the cost of a cremation, but consumers don't have to buy bundled services.

Consumers also should ask if the price they're being quoted is for a direct cremation, without additional services, Kemmis said.

Josh Slocum, executive director of the national office of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, offered guidance on prices for those who aren't members of the alliance.

For a no-frills cremation with no embalming and no memorial service, “$1,500 to $2,000 is a middle-of-the-road price,” Slocum said. “A reasonable price in a competitive market should be $1,000 or less. It's not a lot of work.”

Oglesby chose Funeral Caring USA, one of the Funeral Consumers Alliance's partners, to handle her husband's simple cremation. The alliance provided forms for her to fill out that smoothed the way.

She paid Funeral Caring $565 for her husband's simple cremation, also called a direct cremation. There were add-ons she also paid for, including what she described as a “lovely wooden box” in which her husband's remains were buried at Fort Sam Houston.

“It worked perfectly,” Oglesby said.

“It's a stressful time, and whatever you can do to alleviate all that chaos and turmoil is good,” she added. “The thing I wanted to avoid was having pressure put on me to make decisions that I would regret later.”

Funeral Caring owner Fernando O'Horan said more than 55 percent of his customers choose a no-frills cremation, although he believes that they have the means to pay for a fancy funeral. “You can tell by their addresses and what they drive up in,” he said. “It's more about what they believe in versus what they can afford.”

Oglesby said she is happy with the choices she made.

“I was more than satisfied,” she said. Funeral Caring transferred her husband's remains to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, where an Air Force chaplain held a memorial service.

“It all went very, very smoothly,” Oglesby said. “I couldn't have wished for anything better.”